On November 6th, Zhang Kuang returned to Hong Kong. First, he had a meal with He Qigang and his wife, and then went to visit Mr. He Family.
The next step is to return to the team for training. In fact, the training is just that much. Troussier asked Zhang Kuang to join the substitute team, and then use speed, physical confrontation and shooting skills to constantly break into the main team's formation.
Zhang Kuang used his strength in Premier League and UEFA Champions League, passing people easily, breaking through easily, and shooting easily.
Then under his repeated impact, or to be precise, under the repeated impact of the world's number one shooter, the improvement of the main players was visible to the naked eye.
It proves the saying that 'if you are ravaged by high-level people every day, you will find that people at the same level are just like rookies'. Therefore, when Zhang Kuang is not on the court, the other players on the substitute team are no match for the main team. Every main player feels that their level has reached a new level.
On November 9, Hong Kong Team arrived in Beijing, and Workers' Stadium was undercurrent.
Hong Kong Team is grateful that the national team's plan to move their home court to Shenyang was not approved by the higher authorities. They originally planned to move their home court to Shenyang, but now the temperature there is below zero, and Hong Kong Team's players will definitely not be able to bear it.
But when choosing the home court, Hong Kong Football Association told the mainland Football Association, 'We can take advantage of the right time and place, but can we not impose extreme conditions?'
It means that if the national team engages in extreme conditions, fine, don't say anything next time Hong Kong Team does something stupid.
Therefore, the final home court was chosen to be BJ, which is already very friendly.
Although BJ's is quite cold this season, it's still better than Shenyang.
On the afternoon of November 9, Hong Kong Team arrived at BJ and went straight to Workers' Stadium's adaptive training.
The temperature in BJ in early winter is only a few degrees, and the most important thing is that the wind hurts my face.
This is not what Hong Kong Team players have experienced. This is scraping the knife.
After a training session, the coaching staff was very worried that the players' condition would plummet, which would be tragic.
During training, the appearance of Zhang Kuang triggered a strong reaction.
Some fans held up red banners saying 'Zhang Kuang Come on', while a few people held up signs with black letters on a white background saying 'Traitor'. The two voices intertwined in the cold wind.
After the training, Zhang Kuang and his teammates went to Tiananmen and Forbidden City. Some fans came up to ask for photos and autographs, and he basically cooperated.
But there were also reporters who blocked him at the door of Forbidden City.
"Zhang Kuang, Hong Kong Team has no problem qualifying, will you let go of the national team?"
Zhang Kuang glanced at the reporter, smiled, then waved his hand without answering.
"Why don't you answer? Do you just want to be cruel to your own people? You traitor."
"Zhang Kuang, don't pay attention to him. He is incompetent on the court and scolds others when they don't show off. Don't pay attention to such a person."
Some fans defended Zhang Kuang, and Zhang Kuang smiled and gave the fan a thumbs up.
"Zhang Kuang, are you so heartless and don't give me any face? What good will it do to you to eliminate the national team? Losing this game will not affect your qualifying, so why do you have to do it all..."
"Brother, we are just playing the game normally. If you are not strong enough, why do you always blame others? Why do you still want to kidnap me morally?"
"We are all from China, why would he attack his own people?"
"Then why did others attack Zhang Kuang in the first place? Why didn't you care about the feelings of your compatriots at that time? People like you... you ask others to be moral when it is beneficial to you, and when it is not beneficial to you, you just ignore it? Bah, scumbag!"
"..."
Zhang Kuang couldn't respond, because as soon as I responded, there would be hundreds of questions coming my way, so I had to leave quickly, and I couldn't even visit a tourist attraction...
At the same time, the pre-match interviews between the coaches of both teams that afternoon were also reported in the press.
Camacho said, "Zhang Kuang is our biggest threat, but football is a sport of 11 people. We will focus on restricting him. We hope China National Team can win the game and get the first point."
Reporter: "Zhang Kuang once said that the national team lacks finishing strikers. Has the national team solved this problem this month?"
Camacho: "Some problems cannot be solved just by saying they are solved. I believe in the existing players."
Reporter: "Then I am still weak?"
Troussier said, "Zhang Kuang is our ace, but Hong Kong Team is not a one-man team. And the pressure now is not on Hong Kong Team, but on the national team. We will play the game calmly and ensure not to concede the ball first."
Because we have conducted adaptability training on the field, the players are still a little uncomfortable with such a climate. We hope that the climate will not affect the players during the game..."
Before the game, the smell of gunpowder gradually arose, and the undercurrent surged.
Workers' Stadium Fifty thousand tickets have long been sold out. In the cold wind of BJ, a showdown related to the fate of qualifying is about to take place.
November 11, 2011, Beijing Workers' Stadium.
This day is 'Singles' Day', but there is no festive relaxed atmosphere around Workers' Stadium.
Just after four o'clock in the afternoon, the square outside the stadium was already filled with fans.
Red is the main color, and China National Team's home jersey, scarf, and flag merge into a sea of dark red under the gray winter sky.
But there were also scattered white Hong Kong Team away jerseys in the crowd. Those were supporters of Hong Kong Team. They were not many in number, but their voices were loud.
The temperature in BJ at that time was only 3 degrees Celsius, and the northwest wind blew through the empty square, making people's cheeks hurt.
But no one left.
The ticket window had already displayed a 'sold out' sign, scalpers were scurrying among the crowd, and a ticket was sold for three times the original price.
"Brother, do you want a ticket? The East Stand has a good location, five hundred."
"Five hundred? Are you trying to steal money?"
"Grab money? Look at this game! There's Zhang Kuang! Don't you want to see him play?"
The young man buying the ticket hesitated for a moment and finally took out his wallet.
The giant electronic screen outside Workers' Stadium was scrolling with the pre-match posters of both sides: China National Team Here is a photo of Zheng Zhi and Li Weifeng. Over Hong Kong Team is Zhang Kuang with arms outstretched and roaring, and behind it is a picture of Hong Kong Team members celebrating together.
There is a line of small words at the bottom of the poster. "China Civil War, friendship first, competition second!"
Some people read this sentence with excitement, while others laughed at it.
At 6:30 in the evening, all the lights inside Workers' Stadium were turned on. The lawn was illuminated green and shiny, and more than 50,000 seats were gradually filled.
In the north stand, the China national football team fan organization unfurled a giant banner with the words "Although tens of millions of people are here, I will leave" written in white letters on a red background. The fonts were powerful and powerful, hanging from the top stand to the middle level.
Hong Kong fans in the east stand pulled up a blue flag with the words "Hong Kong spirit, never give up" written on it. Although the area was much smaller, it was particularly eye-catching in the sea of red.
Fans from both sides sang loudly in the stadium.
Fans of the national team sang the cheering songs "Singing the Motherland" and "China National Team Come on", while Hong Kong Team fans sang the Cantonese cheering song "Hong Kong Jin Jie", and the melody was particularly crisp in the cold wind.
Two waves of sound collided above the stadium, refusing to give in to each other.
In the locker room, both teams are making final preparations.
In the national team locker room, Camacho stood in front of the tactical board, his face ashen.
He used the Mark pen to draw several circles on the board, focusing on the name Zhang Kuang.
"Today we have only one task: to restrain No. 33! Zhao Xuri, you have to cut off the route that Leung Chun-pong and Jack·Xu are feeding him in the midfield.
Li Weifeng, Zheng Zhi, follow him and stay close. Don't give him room to kick, especially at the front edge of the penalty area and the inside position on the left side."
He paused and raised his voice an octave. "We only have the theoretical possibility of qualifying, but the premise is that we must win today.
If we lose today, there is no possibility of qualifying theoretically. This is the home court, with 50,000 people in the stands. If you lose, you know what you have to endure."
There was silence in the locker room.
Zheng Zhi was sitting in the corner, lowering his head to tie his shoelaces, his expression showing no emotion or anger.
Li Weifeng leaned against the cabinet, folded his arms, and his eyes fell on the name Zhang Kuang on the tactical board.
Others also looked elsewhere.
Win Hong Kong Team? Are you kidding me internationally?
So, in an extremely difficult game, who still has confidence?
On the other side, the atmosphere in the Hong Kong Team locker room is completely different.
Troussier stood in front of the tactical board and quickly explained the tactics.
He didn't draw too many lines, but just drew a circle at the front of the penalty area. "Zhang Kuang, your position is here. Li Weilian and Zheng Shaowei are responsible for transporting the two wings, and Cris Kang is organizing and passing through in the middle.
We don't press high, but move back to counterattack. There are two reasons: First, China National Team has much more pressure than us, they will make mistakes, and it's enough for us to catch one or two.
Secondly, I believe you have already felt that many of you may not be able to adapt to playing football in such weather, so we focus on defense."
At 6:50 in the evening, players from both sides began to line up in the tunnel.
The chief referee Kim Dong-jin stood at the front with his whistle hanging on his chest, flanked by the assistant referee and the fourth official.
Behind him, players from both teams lined up.
On China National Team's side, Zheng Zhi stood at the front, looking straight ahead. Li Weifeng stood behind him, with a serious expression. Gao Lin was moving his ankles and looking up at the lawn at the end of the passage from time to time.
On Hong Kong Team's side, Fan Chun-yip stood at the front as the captain. Zhang Kuang stood behind him, with his hands on his hips and his face expressionless.
No one spoke in the passage.
The entrance music started, and Kim Dong-jin turned around to signal the two teams to follow.
The moment the two teams stepped onto the lawn, the sound of the entire venue suddenly rose: applause, cheers, songs, whistles, the voices of 50,000 people merged into a heat wave, traveling upstream in the cold wind.
Singing, shaking hands, taking photos... After a set of procedures, the two teams took their respective positions and waited for kick-off.
Kim Dong-jin looked at his watch and put the whistle into his mouth.
Beijing Workers' Stadium The noise of fifty thousand people subsided a little at this moment - everyone was waiting for the whistle.
The time has come.
"Beep--"
The game officially begins.
He Wei:"China Central Television, China Central Television, what you are watching now is 2014 Brazil World Cup Asia is the top 20 group match in the third stage of the zone qualifiers. What we are playing for you is a match in the fourth round of Group A. China National Team plays against China Hong Kong Team at home..."
Zhang Lu: "Today's game is very critical for the national team. Now the national team only has the theoretical possibility of qualifying.
Among the four teams in Group A, China Hong Kong Team currently ranks first with 3 wins and 9 points. Jordan Team ranks second with 2 wins and 1 loss and 6 points. Iraq has 1 win and 2 losses with 3 points, while China National Team ranks bottom with 0 wins and 0 points.
Therefore, China National Team must win the last three rounds to theoretically qualify, so this game is a game that cannot be missed."
He Wei: "Director Xu, how confident do you think the national team is?"
Zhang Lu: "Hey, actually there is nothing wrong with being eliminated early. Eliminate early and rebuild early. The current national team needs to be overthrown and started over. As long as we make good follow-up changes, we still have a lot of opportunities."
He Wei:"..."
Isn't this a cover-up at all? It's just a failure. How can he be conscientious?
He Wei: "Then let's take a look at the starting lineups of both sides. Let's look at the national team first. The national team's formation today is 4231, goalkeeper: No. 22 Yang Zhi, defenders: No. 3 Sun Xiang, No. 5 Li Weifeng, No. 17 Du Wei, No. 20 Zhang Linpeng.
For the defensive midfielder position, No. 23 Zheng Zhi, No. 7 Zhao Xuri, Forward: No. 21 Yu Hai, No. 10 Deng Zhuoxiang, No. 11 Qu Bo, Forward is No. 18 Gao Lin.
The substitutes include No. 1 Zeng Cheng, No. 2 Liu Jianye, No. 4 Feng Xiaoting, No. 6 Huang Bowen, No. 8 Hao Junmin, No. 9 Yu Dabao, and No. 14 Feng Renliang.
Director Zhang, do you think there is any difference between the arrangement of the national team and the players on the field? Why is it arranged like this?"
Zhang Lu:"..."
Thousands of kilometers away in Hong Kong, TVB's live broadcast room, the two commentators also started their work simultaneously.
Chung Chi-kwong's voice carries his signature calmness and enthusiasm. He is the big brother in the Cantonese commentary industry:
"Good evening, dear viewers! Welcome to TVB's live broadcast of the 2014 Brazil World Cup Asia District Qualifiers Top 20 Group A fourth round, China National Team vs. China Hong Kong Team at home.
The picture you are seeing now comes from Beijing Workers' Stadium. The temperature at the scene is only two degrees, but the enthusiasm of the fans on both sides has not cooled down at all. I am Chung Chi-kwong, and the one who is explaining to you today is the coach Wong Hing-kwai."
Wong Hing-kwai took over with a smile in his voice, "Yes, this game is really interesting. The national team must win if they want to qualify. Hong Kong Team must score at least one point if they want to qualify early."
The pressure on the two teams is completely different, and there is a focal point in this match. As everyone knows, it is Zhang Kuang."
Chung Chi-kwong nodded. "Okay, let's first introduce the starting lineup of both parties. As for Hong Kong Team, Troussier still ranked 4231.
The goalkeeper team captain Fan Chun-yip, the defense team Lee Chi-ho, Chan Wai-ho, Shane·Lowry, Poon Yiu-cheuk. The double defensive midfielder team Leung Chun-pong is the same as Jack·Xu.
Attack line Li Weilian is on the right, Cris·Kang in the middle, Zheng Shaowei is on the left. Single arrow Zhang Kuang..."
After the game started, it entered a high rhythm.
China National Team was obviously fully prepared and pressed forward quickly after the kick-off, intending to take advantage of the home momentum to seize the opportunity in the opening stage.
Zheng Zhi did not cross the ball too much after getting the ball in the midfield, but directly made a diagonal pass to find Yu Hai on the left. Yu Hai stopped the ball and tried to break through Lee Chi-ho's defense, but Hong Kong Team's right back blocked the ball accurately and blocked Yu Hai's cross from the baseline.
Corner kick.
The first time the national team attacked, they got a corner kick opportunity.
The main reason is that the Hong Kong Team players are a little uncomfortable with the climate.
Deng Zhuoxiang takes a corner kick and the ball spins towards the center of the penalty area.
Du Wei jumped high and headed the ball towards the goal, but Fan Chun-yip reacted very quickly and hit the ball out of the penalty area with both fists.
Zhao Xuri controlled the second point outside the penalty area and volleyed directly before the ball hit the ground!
This is Zhao One Kick's unique skill!!!!!
He Wei: "Zhao Xuri's volley... the ball, ah, was slightly over the crossbar, which is a pity."
Xu Lu: "Hey, it's not bad, at least it's correct."
He Wei:"..."
There was a sigh in the stands, which soon turned into applause.
Although He Wei was so disturbed by Xu Lu's obviously "dismissive" remarks that he didn't know how to respond, his voice rang out in the live broadcast room:
"Less than two minutes into the game, the national team got a corner kick opportunity. Du Wei's header was saved by Fan Chun-yip, and Zhao Xuri's follow-up shot went high. Although they didn't score, the momentum of this start was very good, and the national team pressed forward."
Zhang Lu added, "Yes, the national team obviously wants to suppress Hong Kong Team in terms of momentum. But it should be noted that the further forward they press, the greater the gap behind them. Zhang Kuang is standing behind this line of defense and waiting."
He Wei: "Ahem, yes, what Director Zhang reminded is..."
Zhang Kuang is indeed waiting.
He stood near the center circle, without retreating too far, and always maintained a position level with the national team's last line of defense.
After all, he is a lone forward, this is his position.
His eyes were fixed on the ball at Zhao Xuri's feet, like a cheetah patiently waiting for its prey to make a mistake.
The national team's ball possession rate in the first ten minutes was as high as 68%, almost forcing Hong Kong Team to besieged in the half. They had the right time and location, and of course the people, and the fans at the scene were very awesome.
However, Hong Kong Team's defensive organization was extremely compact. Leung Chun-pong followed Zheng Zhi in the midfield, Jack·Xu Tuo protected the depth in front of the two central defenders, and Lee Chi-ho and Poon Yiu-cheuk blocked the cross route from the wing.
In the fifteenth minute, the national team got another chance.
Qu Bo took the ball on the right and cut inside. He passed Poon Yiu-cheuk and passed with his left foot. The ball accurately found Yu Hai who was inserted in the back.
Yu Hai headed the ball in front of the goal. Gao Lin scrambled for a shovel shot. The ball... deflected out of the goal and out of the baseline. Fan Chun-yip originally thought the ball was going to be lost, but the opponent's forward made a clearance directly, which shocked him a bit.
Such a shot... can you bear this?
There was another sigh of regret in the stands.
Wong Hing-kwai smacked his lips in the TVB live broadcast room. "The national team's offense is so sharp, but their shooting skills are a bit stretched. Hong Kong Team's players are still a little unaccustomed to the northern climate. They need to play for a while to warm up their bodies..."
Chung Chi-kwong nodded. "Well, yes, the national team's forward can't score anyway, so let's warm up our body first."
Chung Chi-kwong's words immediately went viral on MyScore's platform, and the fans watching the graphic live broadcast couldn't stand it.
"Holy shit, this is too humiliating, isn't it? What do you mean by 'the national team's forwards can't score anyway, so warm up first'? National team's forwards, let Hong Kong compatriots see the threat you pose!"
"Pfft, this explanation is too fucked up. Although some things are true, I can't say them out loud. I can't stand it anymore. I'm a bit lacking in quality."
"What? Are you sad? Are you feeling uncomfortable? Why don't you get one?"
"I'm definitely going to get one, right away, wait..."
"..."